Reviews

Posh London tosser, James Blunt, strings together a set of painfully identical and awful songs with the sole intent of being as bland and as uninspired as possible. The ridiculously foppish nature of his songs mean that he can only have been aiming this album at two sets of people:

1. Middle aged mothers who would want him as a son-in-law.
2. Media types in their early 20s wh... read more

James Blunt's upper class and highly privileged life puts him in no position to write anything about hardship or 'pain'. His videos are so painfully sickening, in the rain, on a boat....all the same positions that Cliff Richard adopted in his latest calendar.

Description:As a piece of propaganda, James Blunt’s album Back to Bedlam does more for changing the face of the British Army than a series of television adverts ever could. Swapping a rifle for a guitar, the former cavalryman’s ballad-heavy debut is a clearly aiming to win the battle for the public’s hearts and minds. The success of singles like "You’re Beautiful" and "No Bravery" (inspired by his time stationed in Bosnia) are both heartfelt and sensitive, the latter packing an additional emotional punch beyond the typical lovelorn ballads of his contemporaries like Damien Rice. But Blunt also sings with convictiAs a piece of propaganda, James Blunt’s album Back to Bedlam does more for changing the face of the British Army than a series of television adverts ever could. Swapping a rifle for a guitar, the former cavalryman’s ballad-heavy debut is a clearly aiming to win the battle for the public’s hearts and minds. The success of singles like "You’re Beautiful" and "No Bravery" (inspired by his time stationed in Bosnia) are both heartfelt and sensitive, the latter packing an additional emotional punch beyond the typical lovelorn ballads of his contemporaries like Damien Rice. But Blunt also sings with conviction about matters of the heart, and that’s the territory that most of Back to Bedlam visits, with songs of loss like "Goodbye My Lover", "So Long Jimmy" and "Billy". And throughout, the arrangements remain understated yet effective, thanks to the input of such heavyweight producers and songwriters like Linda Perry and Guy Chambers. All of which prove that there’s a lot of depth to this modern, musical hero. --Robert Burrow... (more)(less)